Crabby Muses Dig Bigger Holes!

Look at the color of these portulaca! They've outdone themselves. I purchased them as a sort of impulse while shopping for doggie chew bones at a local discount store, thinking to have them supplant the expiring violas in the two containers by the front/side door. Holy cow; they've really repaid my investment. Here's one of the two containers:

There's also a hefty coleus and Japanese ornamental corn in the mix. I'm more than happy with the overall planting, which is a good thing as I'm not happy with much recently and that's made my muses crabby.
Gardening has been a healing force or energy in my life so many times previously. Whenever the world seems out of control or just amazingly fucked up, gardening has been there for me. I guess it's as simple as urging pretty things to grow; color, texture, smell... all of that reward for coaxing seeds and cramming annuals into tight spaces! It's also a way fro me to be creative without the expectations and demands of art making.
Don't get me wrong- they are very different impulses. But sometimes while in my studio, I can be overwhelmed with the "weight of the world" and feel awash in cosmic junk. Mass shootings, a government run amuck, child sex predators (good riddance Jeffery Epstein!)... good grief! People can really suck! And that's just the external stuff. I have the internal voices yodeling along, complaining about the perfidy of the "art world". The "why am I not rich and famous?" Or even, "why am I not famous?" (fuck the rich part!!) It can feel very dispiriting to keep making the best work that you can, really pour your heart/mind/soul into producing rigorous art and still feel like you're screaming into a giant vacuum. And creeps like Jeffery Epstein and The Orange Menace are rich and powerful... (until they're not, I guess!)

Anyway, that's part of the reason I spend a lot of time gardening. It quiets all the noise that raves and rages inside and out. I spend a good deal of time, now that it's a bit cooler, digging up a new-ish area and moving some things around and planting birthday gifts. It's felt so good and I find myself humming tunelessly to myself as my muses and I trench out big holes.

See You in Hell!

Flaming day lilies to accompany the incredibly hot weather we endured this week! The flowers didn't seem to mind; possibly because I ran around watering and checking up on everyone. How hot was it? Do I have to remind you? The heat index- a new-ish gauge of climate changes real life effect on us all- was over 100 all week. Everyday was a 3 tee shirt day.

The containers look really good (if I do say so myself...) despite needing waterings several times a day. The lawn is a tad crispy in spots but can also be attributed to the massive amounts of trees/logs/sawdust that continues to occupy our time and energy.
And piles? Anyone want to see our piles? It's been so hot that there was a recess taken from all that dragging and stacking and piling...

Bob and I have taken turns hauling this pile from one area to another. We have lacked the energy or impetus to remove it entirely and take it out to the woods.

You see what we're up against! More piles; they will be with us for a long time. No wonder we're getting out of town for the weekend. Actually, it has more to do with Bob having a sculpture to install in North Bennington (VT) at an outdoor sculpture show. Here's a link:
www.nbossvt.org
We had fun last year and it will be good to get away. A friend (thanks Joe!) is staying with Lil' Robin the Good. I think she knows something is up and she is not impressed!

* The title of this blog was originally going to refer to both the protracted heat wave and the resignation of the evil Scott Pruitt as head of the EPA. (Don't make me gag!) But as I stated writing this entry, I realized I wanted to spend as little time as possible discussing evil motherfuckers like Scott Pruitt. Suffice it to say, there is a particularly hot 'n' steamy ring of Hell for him to occupy and there won't be any second hand mattresses or special moisturizers to make his stay in hell easier!